Be Water Wise Miami Teacher Resources

These resources are provided to support Be Water Wise Miami activities in K-12 classrooms. You will need Adobe Reader in order to view these files. For a free download of Adobe Reader, click here.

Download the Be Water Wise School Water Measurement Activity

Supplementary Resources for All Grade Levels

• Background Information 
• Suggested homework activity: A Day in the Life of a Drop
• Student Report Outline
• Additional Water Resources
• Flyer for parents: English, Spanish, or Creole

Suggested Lesson Plans and Classroom Activities

The activities provided below are from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Water Sourcebook Series.

Grades K-2

• Water Is Very Special: Students learn about the importance of water in our daily lives through a hands-on activity with dried foods. Students create a mural based on a poem about water’s importance.  
• So Much Water, So Little to Drink: Students learn about the scarcity of water resources by using different models that represent Earth.
• How Low Can You Go: Students learn about ground water by creating a model aquifer, and creating a plastic bag book that models the water table.
• Drip and Drop’s Adventure: Students learn about water conservation strategies and why they’re important through an interactive puppet show. Students write a class book about ways to save water.
• It’s Time to Conserve: Students create display posters about ways to conserve water at home and at school, to which they can add throughout the year. Students learn about the job of a hydrologist through the creation of a weekly classroom hydrologist.

Grades 3-5

• Water, Water Everywhere: Students learn about water distribution on Earth and create a class book illustrating facts about Earth’s water.
• Water Goes Around and Comes Around: Students learn about the “human water cycle” by creating a model water supply system. Students learn how to read a water meter.
• Water Works: Students learn how water treatment plants work through a hands-on activity, and write a story about the water treatment process. 
• Saving a Resource in Jeopardy: Students learn about water use through a game of Jeopardy, and explore the environmental and economic benefits of water conservation.
• Waste Not, Want Not: Students explore the consequences of wasteful water use through a group activity, and think about ways to use water more wisely.

Grades 6-8

• Invisible Water: Through a hands-on water measurement activity, students learn about water distribution on Earth and the relative invisibility of ground water compared to other fresh water resources.
• Water Filtration: Students learn about potable water, water purification and water treatment plants through a hands-on water filtration activity.
• Aquifers and Recharge Areas: Students learn about how aquifers work by creating a model aquifer. Students brainstorm ideas about how to protect recharge areas.
• Water Meter Reader: In a take-home activity, students keep track of home water usage by recording the readings on their home water meters. Students consider the implications of their data.
• Home Water Use: Through a take-home activity, students learn about home water use and think about ways to save water.

Grades 9-12

• Water, Water Everywhere: Students learn about water distribution on Earth, water demand, conflict over water resources and how water is regulated.
• From Ground to Water: Students learn about ground water and gain experience writing and presenting their knowledge to different audiences.
• Groundwater Basics: Students perform calculations of groundwater volume and porosity as well as the volume and recharge rate that will supply a particular well. 
• Water You Doing About This?: Students estimate water use at home and think about ways they can conserve water.